Inspiration to create jewelry comes naturally to me, which is probably true for many artists and musicians.

There’s a big difference, though, between finding inspiration and acting on inspiration. Thinking vs. doing. Talk vs action. Inspiration is the starting point. Action brings that inspiration to life.

As my art has evolved, I’ve noticed that I can’t really separate inspiration from action. It all flows on the same continuum — all part of the act of creating.

Here are a couple of situations that wound up inspiring me to create new pieces:

• We went to see Cirque de Soleil’s “Luzia” show recently. It’s a remarkable pastiche of Mexican culture, iconography, music, and spirit. The production design borrowed from familiar Aztec symbols and icons, among many other influences. Those visuals stirred around in my head for a day or two, and resulted in a mixed media series that play off those themes.

• One of the things we observe is jewelry worn by our booth visitors and customers. It’s a good indication of their tastes and sensibilities toward jewelry. After our most recent show, I was inspired by pieces worn by some of our visitors. That visual montage in my head resulted a day later in a new necklace of woven wire in a completely new (to me!) design that shares more with the Jetsons than the Victorians.

In each case, the creation flowed from the inspiration, almost uninterrupted. Keep that flow going. Honor your inspirations — they’re gifts from the universe — with action that brings those ideas into being!